Remember Your Why and Fly
Truth is…
I had no clue what I was doing when I started running. Trust me, ask anyone who ran with me during those early days and they’ll tell you stories of how I showed up to runs with a drawstring bag full of all the things I thought necessary for a run. I was, however, crystal clear that my WHY for running was the desire for my daughters to grow up experiencing being active as a part of everyday life. I wanted them to know that being active was a lifestyle and not just a fad.
The girls and me at my first half marathon expo: Miami Half Marathon in 2013.
Since I started running consistently in 2012, running has helped me travel deeply inward and expansively outward. I’ve learned how to trust in myself and how to keep going even when everything inside my mind is screaming for me to stop. I’ve met incredible people and have participated in some pretty pinch-me running and racing experiences. Running went from something I was motivated to do because of my daughters to something I aspired to do because it helped me be the best version of me.
Like most of us, everything changed in March 2020. During this pandemic I’ve confronted and tried to answer questions as to who I am, who I want to be, and how I want to change going forward. It was during this time that I both lost myself and found myself. Running was a constant that helped me return to myself. Running was where I cleared my mind, found freedom, and experienced a sense of normalcy.
I also reaffirmed my WHY during this time. With no races in sight, I was able to get back to my running roots and connect to running, once again, in a way that’s beyond paces and finish times. I spent a lot of time on my runs feeling grateful for the ability and opportunity to run. I realized that at the root of everyone’s WHY for running is a belief in oneself:
Believing in yourself to try. Believing in yourself to start. Believing in yourself to dream. Believing in yourself to keep trying. Believing in yourself to keep dreaming. Sometimes it’s believing in yourself when no one else does. Other times it’s believing in yourself even when you doubt yourself.
Belief in yourself is what gets you laced up and out the door, over and over again.
It’s with all this reconnecting, recalibrating, and questioning that I am here today beginning a new chapter in my running journey. Our running journey together. My runs have become thinking sessions and uninterrupted time where I could explore how to bring my thoughts, knowledge, and experience to the running community.
So, today I would like to introduce you to Cor•rer Retreats, a running community with a heartbeat rooted in the WHY behind our running.
“Cor” meaning heart.
“Correr” meaning “run” in Spanish as a nod to all those who came before me.
“Retreats” as a reminder that our time together, regardless of whether it’s an hour or several days, is a break from everything that distracts you from being with and celebrating YOU.
In this community, I will be blending my love of yoga as a movement modality that complements running with storytelling because, let’s be honest, us runners love to talk about running, especially with other runners! As runners, we are more than any one run. We are the culmination of many choices that led to the belief of being enough to show up, try, and chase the best version of ourselves. Cor•rer Retreats is where we will gather to run wild and flow free.
I’m here because of all the support I have behind me and uplifting me; thank you to everyone that has contributed to the birth of this new project. Future events will be posted on the Mini Retreats page.
With lots of love,
Stephanie
